Wild Avalon

25

I ran and ran. Listening carefully to the wolves as they howled. There was one beastly cry that didn't sound like the wolves. Something else was hunting tonight as well. I had no idea what kind of shifter or wild animal would make such a cry. I could also hear satisfied short yips followed by a howl. Signalling a wolf had found his mate, the echoing cries of the pack as the newly mated wolf sank teeth and cock into his claim. I hadn't been the only one running tonight. I wondered how many more would be mates were running. I hoped there was lots, anything for more distractions away from me.

I hoped anyone claimed tonight was willing. Mate hunts were rare in the modern shifter world, I had certainly never heard of them before tonight. Though I wasn't exactly well integrated with the shifter community. What I did know about modern shifter society was nothing like this Castle and the grounds around it. A place out of time and reality as I knew it. I kept running. When I was certain at least a few wolves had followed me across the river. I climbed the nearest tree. Starting to move through the canopy of the trees.

I tried to move through the tree tops as smoothly as I could. Wanting to conserve my ropes. I still needed to climb down to get around a field or sparse section of the forest. The father I moved. The more distant most of the wolf cries became. Wolves were used to hunting along the ground. Rarely did they consider looking up. This had kept me safe from the local packs far longer than anything else. When in doubt, Go up. No one looks up. I had only tested this theory in narrow city alleys, using fire escapes as my means to move upwards. Disconcertingly, the howl and calls that were definitely not wolf, were steady. Regardless of what direction I moved. No matter my speed. Whatever creature was following me, it was one that knew to look up. I would have to do more than outrun it. I needed real diversions. I was sincerely being hunted by a predator who knew what they were doing.

I was glad I had kept as much ropes as possible until now. I started to look for narrow paths. Places that could act as natural choke points for anyone following me. Then I started to lay traps. Snares with trees that should be able to at least inconvenience anything significant coming after me. Trip wires, anything I could manage to set up quickly. I was not going easy.

I looked at the moon. It wasn't that late yet. There was so much moonlight left in the night. I felt frustrated. I was already feeling tired. I only had lunch today. I should have just run back to real life when I had the chance. I hadn't realised when I agreed to give Rama a chance, agreed to stay, that I would still have to outrun every unmated shifter in the area. I had just wanted more time to get to know Rama. I liked moments when he wasn't so tightly wound, I wanted us to have some time without a ball or formality standing between us.

'No time! Run!' Hilda spurred me on, disrupting my pity party in my head. I dashed through the forest. Racing towards the deepest darkest part of the woods. Finally the trees were getting close enough together again. Thick old trees growing interlinked with each other. Here running on the ground wouldn't be overly safe. The thick greenery of the canopy blocking the natural light from the full moon, branches, trunks, roots all working against speed. Against anything large and heavy.

Unless you were in the canopy. I climbed up and started to work my way from tree to tree. Moving with stealth instead of speed. Never stopping, always listening. Wolves were calling from the other side of the river. The creature I couldn't name and at least a couple wolves were certainly on this side of the river now.

Closer than I had imagined in my head I realised after the latest howl. I started to trace back my tracks, climbing down a tree, then back up another, only to loop back to the first tree to climb down again and lay another fake trail. I only allowed myself time to start four fake trails before I started to move earnestly through the trees again. Distance was what I needed. I heard a pained volley of yips carry through the air. Followed by a chorus of snarling, barks, howls and the call I couldn't name. It was primal, powerful. A predator far more dangerous than a wolf.